The Boy Allies under Two Flags Part 42

The Canopus was replying gun for gun, now, and with each moment the roar of battle increased.

And then, suddenly, in perfect battle formation, imposing and majestic in their advance, out of the little harbor steamed proudly the battle fleet of Great Britain, moving swiftly forward to engage the enemy!

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE ENGAGEMENT

The enemy perceived the advance of this formidable squadron in an instant, and there was a lull in the fire of the German ships.

Then the guns opened with redoubled vigor, and the entire German fleet turned to flee.

Not unwilling to take advantage of the apparent fact that they had but one enemy to encounter--the Canopus--now that the odds were somewhat against them there was a different story.

Evidently the German admiral held five German ships against one British vessel fair odds, but he was not minded to have the odds eight to five against him.

But the German fleet, secure in the belief that it had but one enemy to contend with, had advanced too far. Escape now was impossible. The greater speed of the British ships became apparent as the chase continued, the English ever gaining.

At last, realizing that there was no hope of escape, Admiral von Spee turned to give battle. The Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Leipzig immediately formed in battle line.

Immediately the British ships slowed up. The Nurnberg and Dresden, the two smaller German cruisers, did not join the other three German ships in battle formation, but continued their flight.

This was what those on board the Sylph had expected, and the little scout cruiser, making a slight detour, to avoid, as far as possible, sh.e.l.ls from the three German cruisers, started in pursuit, full speed ahead. The German vessels, however, had considerable of a start, and it was plain that the Sylph would not overhaul them for hours.

In the meantime the battle was raging fiercely. From the first the British concentrated their fire on the German flagship. The huge thirty-four centimeter guns of the British fleet, as against the twenty-one centimeter guns of the enemy, made the outcome of the engagement certain from the first. All that remained was to see how well the Germans could fight, and what damage they could inflict on Admiral St.u.r.dee's fleet before being sent to the bottom.

A huge sh.e.l.l from the British flagship dropped squarely aboard the Scharnhorst and exploded with a deafening detonation. Metal and bodies flew high in the air, shattered, and dropped into the sea for yards around. But the Scharnhorst had not been hit in a vital spot, and she continued to fight back desperately.

Now a sh.e.l.l from the Canopus struck the Scharnhorst amidships; a second from the Inflexible and a third from the Invincible followed in quick succession, and every one went home. The marksmanship of the British gunners was remarkable.

But the British were not escaping unscathed. A sh.e.l.l from the Leipzig struck the Cornwall just below the waterline and pierced her armor, and then exploded. Two men were killed by flying pieces of steel, and several others were wounded. So far this was the only loss sustained by the English.

As the battle progressed the fire of the British became more and more deadly. Hardly a shot was wasted now. The Scharnhorst, wounded unto death, fought back with the courage born of desperation.

A well-directed sh.e.l.l burst aboard the Invincible, killing three men outright and maiming practically every member of a gun crew near which it struck. But new men were in their places in a second, and the gun did not even pause in its fire.

Gradually the fire of the Scharnhorst became slower and slower, as one after another her guns were silenced by the accurate fire of the British gunners.

Then came the sound of a terrific explosion aboard the German flagship, and she staggered perceptibly. There was a lull in the British fire, as a demand was made for the Scharnhorst to surrender.

The German admiral hurled back a message of defiance to his foes, and the few remaining guns on his flagship continued to spout fire and smoke. He had determined to fight to the last, and go down with his ship, if need be.

The fire from the British ships, the demand for surrender having been refused, broke out afresh, and finally, struck in a vital part, the Scharnhorst burst into flames, at the same time beginning to settle in the water.

Admiral St.u.r.dee could not but admire the way in which the German sailors stuck to their posts in the face of certain death, and he ordered the fire against the Scharnhorst to cease, that those on board might have a chance for life.

But of this chance neither the German admiral nor his men would take advantage. There were still several guns fit for action, and these continued to rain sh.e.l.ls at the British. And, as the ship burned like a raging furnace, at the same time settling lower and lower in the water, these brave men continued to fire their guns.

Now the last gun had either been silenced or had disappeared below the water. Admiral von Spee appeared upon deck, in full view of his enemies. His officers and surviving members of the crew gathered about him. The sweet music of a band carried across the water. The Germans stood erect about their commander, as the flames crept close and the ship settled.

Suddenly it was all over. With a startling movement the Scharnhorst disappeared beneath the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Her commander and crew had stood with bared heads to the last, and had gone to death, standing as though drawn up for inspection.

There was a faint cheer from them as the ship disappeared beneath the waves.

The sinking of the German flagship Scharnhorst had required just a few minutes less than an hour.

Now the entire British fleet concentrated its fire upon the Gneisenau. In spite of the loss of the flagship and their admiral, the Germans would not give up; in fact, they seemed determined to rejoin their companions in the world beyond a watery grave.

The fire from both German cruisers became fiercer. Sh.e.l.ls played a merry tattoo on the armored sides of the Canopus, upon which the two German cruisers were concentrating their fire, but the sh.e.l.ls rattled harmlessly off the well-protected sides, and the Canopus was not damaged.

Gradually now the British squadron closed in on the Gneisenau and Leipzig, spreading out in a half circle as they advanced. Both German ships had been vitally wounded, but they continued to fight back gamely. Sh.e.l.l after sh.e.l.l burst on their decks, pierced them below the waterline, or carried away their fighting tops or superstructure.

Battered almost to pieces, and their decks strewn with dead and dying, they nevertheless fought on.

There would be no surrender. This fact was apparent to the British, and they directed their fire so as to end the battle as quickly as possible.

The Gneisenau staggered, and seemed about to go under. She recovered her equilibrium in an instant, however, and renewed the battle with even greater vigor than before.

Now the two German cruisers, crippled and battered as they were, steamed as rapidly they could right toward the British fleet, making a final effort to inflict a serious blow upon the British before themselves going to the bottom.

Closer and closer they came, their guns hurling sh.e.l.ls at all the British vessels without favor. A sh.e.l.l struck squarely upon the bridge of the Canopus, killing an officer; and the splintering wood that flew about accounted for two more, making the British death list now eight.

And still the German cruisers came on; and then the Gneisenau wavered, halted and staggered back. A sh.e.l.l had pierced through to her boilers. There was an explosion, followed by a great hissing sound.

Without steam the Gneisenau could steam neither forward nor backward. Stationary, rising and falling on the swell of the waves, she continued to pour in her fire, even as the Leipzig continued on alone.

A British sh.e.l.l struck the Leipzig's steering gear, rendering it useless, and the German cruiser staggered about at the mercy of the sea. Still the gunners continued to hurl sh.e.l.ls at the British whenever the guns could be brought to bear.

But this was not often, for the fact that she could not be steered properly rendered the work of the British much easier.

Admiral St.u.r.dee, greatly impressed with the bravery of the Germans, decided to give them one more chance for life. He ordered a cessation of firing and called upon the two cruisers to surrender.

The merciful offer was met with a cry of defiance, and a sh.e.l.l burst over the admiral's flagship, dropping half a score of men, two of whom never arose.

Now the British ships closed in on the two German cruisers, and poured broadside after broadside into the almost defenseless hulls.

Suddenly the Gneisenau disappeared beneath the waves, with all on board, the last that was heard of her being a cheer from her crew.

The Leipzig lasted but a moment longer. She was listing badly, and now, suddenly rising on her beam's end, she dived beneath the water.

The battle of the Falkland Islands, the greatest British sea victory since the battle off Heligoland, was over.

Boats were quickly lowered from the British ships to rescue, if possible, survivors of the German ships. A few were picked up, but not many. Of the more than 1,800 men aboard the three German cruisers, at least 1,700 had gone to the bottom.

The Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau were the largest cruisers of the German fleet. They were sister ships, of 11,600 tons'

displacement, 450 feet on the waterline, and were rated at a speed of 22 1/2 knots. Each carried a complement of 765 men, and was armed with eight 8.2-inch guns, six 6-inch guns, twenty 24-Pounders, four machine-guns and four torpedo tubes.

The Leipzig had a displacement of 3,250 tons and carried 286 men.